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Cannabis oil licence granted for six-year-old

19 June 2018

Alfie suffers from severe epilepsy. His mother has been campaigning for the government to grant him a licence for the substance which she says suppresses his seizures.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced today (19 June) that he would authorise use of the medication for Alfie.
Mr Javid also informed the House of Commons that the government is reviewing 'unsatisfactory' rules to allow cannabis to be used for medical treatments.
In a statement to MPs, the Home Secretary said after a series of high-profile cases it had become clear that the current system of licensing medicines was not fit for purpose.
He said a licence for cannabis oil for Alfie, who has been waiting for months, would be issued later today.
Alfie suffers from a rare form of epilepsy which means that he can suffer more than 100 seizures a month.
In the Commons, Mr Javid said: "It has become clear to me that the position we find ourselves in certainly is not satisfactory."
He said a review was being rushed through, but indicated to MPs that his 'direction of travel' was already clear.
The first part of the overhaul, led by chief medical officer Sally Davies, will make recommendations on which cannabis-based medicines might offer patients real medical and therapeutic benefits.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will consider in the second part of the review whether changes should be made to the classification of these products on an assessment of 'the balance of harms and public health needs'.
"If the review identifies significant medical benefits, then we do intend to reschedule," Mr Javid told MPs.
'We have seen in recent months that there is a pressing need to allow those who might benefit from cannabis-based medicines to access them.'You can read more on this story here.